PROJECT TITLE: Low Cost Reflecting Targets Array for Spaceborne Monitoring of Natural Slopes and Embankments — REFLECT
Coordinator: Technical University of Civil Engineering Bucharest
Partners: Advanced Studies and Research Center
Period: 29 November 2014 – 29 November 2016
Project director: Lect. dr. ing. Daniel-Marcel Manoli
Project team:
The activities undertaken within the research program were carried-out by several teams with key-in input at different stages:
- hardware and firmware development team;
- numerical modelling team;
- manufacturing team;
- InSAR data acquisition and processing team.
Description: REFLECT project studies different types of reflectors that could be used with InSAR technology by doing numerical and physical tests in a experimental polygon with various reflector types that poses different characteristics. Due to its application in several fields like geophysical monitoring of natural hazards, structural stability monitoring, atmospheric monitoring and precise digital terrain model on large scale, SAR technology is currently one of the fastest developing areas of remote sensing.
Project objectives:
- Obtaining cost effective and resistant to vandalism reflectors
- Testing arrays of reflectors for monitoring natural slopes and embankments
- Promote the use of InSAR technology in the civil engineering domain
Activities:
- WP1 – Management
- WP2 – Information planning and reflectors manufacturing and installation
- WP3 – Numerical modelling
- WP4 – Ground test site
- WP5 – SAR monitored test site
- WP6 – Optimal parameters assessment
Contributions to the STAR programme objectives:
The most important project contribution is providing the means for monitoring unreflexive surfaces such as grass covered ones or plane-reflexive surfaces, such as concrete-plated embankments by installing concrete reflectors creating grids of persistent scatterers that, without being better than the classical aluminum corner reflectors, will provide the proper intensity for being pinpointed in interferogram scenes. This method shall both help the research works involving SAR and making one step closer to current implementation in civil engineering industry.
Homepage: REFLECT